Jayasimha (born 6 November 1983), better known as Bobby Simha, is an Indian actor who predominantly appears in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. After making brief appearances in the films Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi and Pizza (2012), he portrayed a kidnapper in Nalan Kumarasamy's Soodhu Kavvum and a comic villain in Alphonse Putharen's Neram. Simha's subsequent performance as the Madurai gangster Assault Sethu in Karthik Subbaraj's Jigarthanda (2014) won him critical acclaim and the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Early life Bobby Simha was born in a Telugu family on 6 November 1983 in Secundrabad, Andhra Pradesh (now Telangana). Simha's family is from Mopidevi, Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh but they moved to Kodaikanal in 1995. He subsequently completed his schooling at Priyadarshini Vidyalayam, a Telugu Medium School, in Mopidevi, Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh and then attended college at Pioneer College of Arts and Science in Coimbatore.
In 2005, he participated in a Coimbatore-based event called Naalaya Natchathiram, where chief guests Sundar C and E. Ramdoss suggested that he should attempt to become an actor in Tamil films. Simha stated that he received an offer to feature in a TV serial in Chennai and only after making the journey from Coimbatore, did he realise he had been conned. Simha subsequently finished his degree and came back to Chennai to pursue a career in acting but ended up working in marketing, insurance and business process outsourcing to fulfill his financial needs.
Career
2007–2012: Early work
Bobby Simha appeared in an uncredited role in Maya Kannadi (2007). Balaji Mohan, who was a short-film maker, gave him a small role in his first feature film, Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi. Both ventures became critically acclaimed and amongst the most profitable of 2012. He subsequently became acquainted with short-film maker Manikandan, who introduced him to his friend, another short-film maker Karthik Subbaraj. The pair subsequently made a series of short films together, with Subbaraj giving Simha a role in his directorial debut Pizza, too.New baddie on the block . The Hindu (2013-05-25). Retrieved on 2014-03-26.
2013–2017: Critical acclaim
Simha then appeared in Soodhu Kavvum (2013) portraying the role of Pagalavan, and played the antagonist in the bilingual Neram, his performances in both films were received well. In 2014, he was seen in the role of an ageing Madurai gangster in Jigarthanda with his portrayal winning him critical praise. In an interview he said that in order to get into the character, he had interacted with real gangsters to learn their behaviour and nuances. To tan his skin, he stood in the sun at noon wearing only his shorts. The film opened to positive reviews in August 2014, with The Hindu writing that it had achieved "cult status" within a week of its release. Simha won positive reviews for his depiction of Sethu, with Rediff.com noting that Simha "steals the show. He is chillingly menacing at times, while completely hilarious in others, but equally convincing in both", stating it is "a truly remarkable performance". A critic from Sify.com delivered a similar verdict, writing "truly the film belongs to Simhaa. He is electrifying especially in the first half, where he brings out the viciousness and violent streak of the character along with that eerie laughter." His performance in the film earned him the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor. After Jigarthanda he played a lead role in the Malayalam film Beware of Dogs, while in Aadama Jaichomada he played Bhoominathan, a "serious, intelligent cop but with a comic touch". The success of Jigarthanda had created opportunities for Bobby Simha to become a lead actor, though several of his subsequent films did not perform well commercially. In December 2015, he appeared in Urumeen, his first film as a solo action hero.
In 2016, he appeared in the coming-of-age drama, Bangalore Naatkal, where he portrayed a softer role in comparison to his earlier action films. Simha had offered his own dates to the producers to portray a character in the film, with his performance receiving mixed reviews. He play the role of a young and enthusiastic reporter in political thriller Ko 2. Director Karthik Subbaraj scripts a story of male arrogance in the multi-starrer Iraivi. In 2017, Susi Ganesan's Thiruttu Payale 2 is the sequel to the 2006 thriller film which went on to become a hit at the box-office.
2018–present He has signed to play as antagonist for Saamy Square (2018), which is the sequel of Saamy, directed by Hari.
Bobby Simah's first release of the year 2019 was Petta, in which he shared screen space with Rajinikanth. He later went on to do Agni Devi and Edaina Jaragocchu. In November 2019, Film Companion ranked Simha's performance in Jigarthanda among the 100 Greatest Performances of the decade.
In 2020, he played the antagonist with Ravi Teja's in Telugu movie Disco Raja. He was seen in Amazon Prime Video's Anthology Putham Pudhu Kaalai, where he played the lead role in Karthik Subbaraj's segment titled, Miracle. In 2022, Bobby Simha play in pivotal role with Vikram in Mahaan directed by Karthik Subbaraj exclusively on Prime Video. Later, Bobby Simha play a cameo for his debut in the Kannada film industry with Rakshit Shetty's 777 Charlie. In Telugu, he did Ammu (2022) for Amazon Prime and worked with Chiranjeevi in Waltair Veerayya (2023) where he plays the villain. He is also playing pivotal roles in Vallavanukkum Vallavan (2023) and the S. Shankar's, Indian 2 (2024) as a CBI officer with Kamal Haasan.
Personal life Bobby Simha got engaged to Urumeen co-star Reshmi Menon in November 2015, and they married on 22 April 2016. The couple has two children– a daughter (born 2017), and a son (born 2019).
Filmography Note: he is credited as Simha / Simhaa in Tamil from 2012-2015 and 2020 to present. Year Title Role Language Notes 2007 Maya Kannadi Barber customer Tamil Uncredited role 2012 Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi Rashmi's boyfriend Credited as Jayasimha Pizza Bobby 2013 Naan Rajavaga Pogiren Shankar Subramaniam Credited as Jaya Simha Soodhu Kavvum Pagalavan Neram Vatti Raja Malayalam Bilingual film Tamil 2014 Beware of Dogs Amir Malayalam Jigarthanda Assault Sethu Tamil Aadama Jaichomada Inspector Bhoominathan Aaaah Prosper 2015 Oru Vadakkan Selfie John Mathew Bhaskar Malayalam Cameo appearance Chennai Ungalai Anbudan Varaverkirathu Chellapandi Tamil Masala Padam Amudhan Inji Iduppazhagi Himself Tamil Cameo appearance Size Zero Telugu Urumeen Selvaa Tamil 2016 Bangalore Naatkal Kannan (Kutty) Also narrator Aviyal The Gangster Segment: Eli Run Vatti Raja Telugu Ko 2 Kumaran Tamil Meera Jaakirathai Sivanesan Iraivi Jagan Metro Guna Kavalai Vendam Arjun 2017 Mupparimanam Himself Cameo appearance Paambhu Sattai Dakshna Karuppan Kathir Thiruttu Payale 2 Inspector Selvam 2018 Rosapoo Actor Malayalam Cameo appearance Kammara Sambhavam Pulikeshi Saamy Square Raavana Pichai Tamil Ladoo Joseph Dayanidhi Malayalam Cameo appearance 2019 Petta Michael Tamil Agni Devi Agni Dev IPS Edaina Jaragocchu Kali Telugu 2020 Disco Raja Burma Sethu Putham Pudhu Kaalai Devan Tamil Segment: Miracle 2021Gully Rowdy Ravi Nayak IPS Telugu 2022Mahaan Sathyavan Soosaiyappan Tamil 777 Charlie Vamsinadhan Kannada Cameo appearanceAmmuPrabhuTelugu 2023Waltair Veerayya Solomon CaesarVallavanukkum Vallavan AlexanderTamilAlso producer Vasantha MullaiRudhran Thugs Durai Salaar: Part 1 – CeasefireBhaaravaTelugu 2024RazakarRajireddy Indian 2Pramod KrishnaswamyTamil2026Vaa VaathiyaarBurmaCameo appearance TBABobby Simha25GuruTeluguTamilFilmingTBANon-violenceTamilCompleted; Delayed
Television Year Title Role NetworkNotes2018Vella RajaDevaAmazon Prime Video2021Navarasa NilavanNetflix Segment: Peace2022Kaiyum Kalavum Anna/Partner (Narrator) Sony Liv Voice only. Along with Chinmayi
Awards and nominations
Vijay Awards 2014 – Vijay Award for Best Villain – Jigarthanda
Filmfare Awards South 2014 – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Tamil – Jigarthanda
National Film Awards 2014 – National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor – Jigarthanda
Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize Best Actor – Jigarthanda
3rd South Indian International Movie Awards Nominated - Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Soodhu Kavvum Nominated - Best Actor in a Negative Role (Tamil) - Neram Nominated - Best Actor in a Negative Role (Malayalam) - Neram
4th South Indian International Movie Awards Nominated - Best Actor in a Negative Role (Tamil) - Jigarthanda
Edison Awards 2014 - Edison Award for Best Villain - Jigarthanda
References
External links